The aftermath
by cizzi-B
Summary: its been three months since the death of damon salvatore and the group are still grieving,especially bonnie. but what happens when bonnie hears a special message... first fanfic,so keep criticism constructive please hehe
1. Chapter 1

The Aftermath

The crisp autumn leaves crunched underneath bonnie McCullough's feet on her now daily walk in the old wood. She needed the space. To grieve.

It had been three months since Damon Salvatore, the candle in the wind, finally blew out and left all who cared about him in the dark. The pain still hung like lead weight on Bonnie's shoulder, making her less sprightly, bubbly than before. Damon's death had pushed bonnie towards whatever level of womanhood bonnie had not yet reached she was not a little girl anymore, or maybe she was just a little more mature.

Bonnie wasn't only grieving for the loss of Damon though, but also the loss what could have been. What she wanted to know but never would. She had nearly driven herself crazy in the months following his death, thinking about their little moments wondering if they meant anything. She felt he loved her but she didn't know. She sure did. Maybe innocently, naively but always strongly and deeply.

Stefan and Elena tried to help her, but they were grieving too. More often than not when the subject of Damon came up, bonnie and Elena ended up crying on each others was bonnie's rock, keeping bonnie on the right path. Matt was like bonnies big brother, always there for her. Giving her what she needed, even if that was just a hug.

When bonnie finally snapped out of her own thoughts she noticed a change in the old wood. Nothing physical, but as if some new power was using the natural resources around it. The ancient trees, the numerous flowers, the silently rushing river.

Then the wind rose, causing bonnie to pull her cream jacket tighter around her petit body. Bonnie could have sworn she heard the wind whisper "I'm coming home redbird just wait"

(Short I know, but hopefully future chapters will be longer! please review! also I own nothing, whoever owns VD now that lj is fired owns everything)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bonnie thought she was going crazy. How else could she have heard Damon's cool ironic voice on the wind? The voice that had the power to send her reeling from pain and joy, and now caused her to run .because running she was, miracously never tripping on the tree roots stretched out on the leave covered forest floor. She was instinctively running towards the boarding house. She needed to tell someone, anyone what she heard. The best candidates for that were at the boarding house.

Though bonnie's rational brain was telling her that the grief had finally gotten to her that she was hallucinating, her instincts were telling her something different entirely.

That Damon really was alive and coming back to them. That even her grief addled brain couldn't have imagined Damon's voice so clearly, so exactly.

In amongst the fear bonnie was feeling, joy was starting to form, that Damon was alive. It would have taken over completely had she not been able to shake a feeling that she was going crazy. Again her instincts were trying to tell her she wasn't, but she had to listen to her rational side first.

When bonnie reached the boarding house, she had to stop for a minute to catch her breath. The running had taken it out of the girl who didn't do or enjoy much exercise (aside from dancing of course)

"M-Meredith!" bonnie called, pushing the door with so much force it banged against the adjacent wall.

"Bonnie? What's wrong?" Meredith asked descending the boarding house stairs quickly with a concerned expression on her face.

"I heard his voice Meredith!" bonnie answered with wide brown eyes and a voice that broke on "his"

"Who's voice?" Meredith asked warily, almost sure she knew the answer already

"Damon's!" bonnie cried, her voice filled with emotion

"Ok"Meredith said soothingly leading her friend towards the kitchen.

"I-I was just walking like I usually do, in the old wood, when I heard it-him" bonnie began, taking the seat Meredith led her too "I think he might be alive! Meredith I really do!" bonnie said joy flushing her heart shaped face. Meredith made no reply to this, just poured boiling water into a mug for the tea she was making for bonnie.

"You don't believe me, do you?" bonnie asked, taking the mug from Meredith with both hands. Bonnie hadn't truly believed it herself, even though she heard it with her own ears. But Meredith's disbelief sparked something in bonnie, some sort of inner belief she didn't know she had.

"Just drink that first, and then we'll talk ok?"Meredith soothed, pointing towards the tea in bonnie's hand

"I know what I heard Meredith!" bonnie cried sounding slightly defensive

Meredith opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by matt announcing himself

"Hey guys!" he bellowed. Meredith was relieved she would have someone's help, not that she couldn't handle bonnie on her own. Support was always nice though.

"What's wrong?" matt asked, coming to stop at the kitchen door when he saw Meredith's worried expression.

"Bonnie said she heard Damon" Meredith answered, direct and straight to the point as always.

"Is that true bonnie?"Matt asked turning his confused gaze to Bonnie. Bonnie replied by nodding solemnly, her red curls bouncing around her face as she did so.

"But…Damons dead?" matt said, not so sure about that anymore. His words sounded blunt and harsh to him, but he didn't know how else to phrase it.

"I don't think so" bonnie said in a small voice, her eyes downcast.

An awkward silence descended over the group that threatened to last until one of them decided to leave. Neither knew what to say, how this changed things, _if it changed things._

Damon still wasn't here was he?

The tension was broken by the sound of Stefan and Elena entering the boarding house. They closed the door with a bang that caused the three to turn in that direction.

"Hello everyone" Stefan greeted politely

"Is everything ok?"Elena asked, feeling the tension

Elena and Stefan, following matt and Meredith's example, turned their gaze on bonnie.

"It's Damon. I heard , Elena I think he's alive" bonnie said answering the question in Stefan and Elena's eyes. Bonnie saw pain flicker across Stefan's face at the mention of his brother's name, followed by hope when bonnie said she thought Damon was alive.

"You guys believe me right?" bonnie asked, pleading not only with her, voice but with her big brown eyes

"Yes we do, we felt it too" Stefan replied his tone serious. Bonnie knew exactly what he was talking about. So that surge of power wasn't just felt by bonnie…

Damon Salvatore was beginning to get frustrated with the barren landscape around him. There really was _nothing _here. Ash like grey leaves covered the ground .Damon wasn't entirely sure were all that had come from, but it gave him the impression that everything in this barren land was destroyed in an almighty fire.

He needed to get back to them. That had been Damon's all-consuming thought since he…woke up. They probably didn't know this but Damon could feel them. There emotions were as real to him as his own emotions were. All their grief, anger hurt were felt by him. He was like their guardian angel really, watching over them. That thought made Damon smile, as if he had been anything close to an angel in his life. Unless a fallen angel counted, and Damon didn't really think it did. It was bonnie who had given Damon this ability, he was sure of it. Her emotions were always strongest to him, that's why he couldn't help reaching out to her, just once. To let her know she didn't have to feel so hurt and alone, he was coming back, he would be there for her, just like he was before. He hadn't meant to scare her like he did, but he could feel she wasn't scared anymore, all she felt was a fierce type of joy, firm in her belief he was alive. The ever present arrogant side of Damon felt pride in her joy about him. Though in all honesty this side was very small and nothing compared to his own joy at seeing her again. Damon would be true to his word, he would be coming home again she just had to wait. Damon wasn't going to start going against his word now.

(So what do you think? was it awful? I know its short again but with school and stuff…well you know how it is lol I don't own vd, which is probably for the best, I'd just make it all bamon so any review and let me know if you want more! Oh David fishwick I guess this kind of answers your question about Damon's return hehe)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So you don't think I'm crazy?" Bonnie asked, relief lighting up her features.

"Of course not bonnie" Elena answered soothingly

"We would never think that" Stefan added, ever the gentleman

"What exactly did Damon say, bonnie?" Meredith asked, mentally slapping herself for not asking the question earlier

"I'm coming home redbird, just wait" bonnie quoted, proudly

"Well that certainly supports the theory that he's alive" matt said, eyebrows raised

"And coming home" Elena finished for him, focusing her attention on her polish-free fingernails, rather then there faces. She knew what they were thinking. About her and Damon, she could feel their gazes fixed on her, burning a hole in her conscience. They didn't know she understood herself better now, what her feelings were. It would always be Stefan for her. The thought of leaving him, not having him to wrap his arms around her and make her feel safe, made her want to curl up in a ball and cry. But she love Damon. Always would. She understood that love now too. She had ignored her love for him for so long that it blew up in to something it wasn't. She had ended up hurting the people she cared about, Stefan and even bonnie who she knew now, loved Damon completely. Elena knew somewhere deep down, that Damon felt the same.

"Bonnie, I think you should go get some rest, after all, tomorrow we start our college education" Elena advised, taking Stefan by the hand and making her exit.

Damon was beginning to feel hatred towards the colours grey and brown, the only colours apparent to him in this barren dimension. The dimension _they_ had left him. Damon couldn't help but feel abandoned by and angry at them. He was usually able to dilute these feelings though, by remembering the impracticalities of carrying a supposed dead body across a dimension where you were constantly on the look out for enemies. But he was beginning to lose hope, of ever getting out. He had stopped walking at a normal pace weeks ago, and had taken to dragging his feet, a painful determination fixed on his face. He was dragging his feet at an ever slower pace as the days passed.

But then he saw it. A beacon of white light in the middle of the , using the last of his energy ran towards it. For a minute he was bathed in white light but then he was falling. Falling, falling until solid white marble floors rose up to meet him. He fell with thud, that would have caused a human to groan, but of course, Damon wasn't human. He was weakened though, so it still stung. He rubbed his cheek as he pulled himself up, and then took in his surroundings.

He was in a…office? Yes, an office. That's what it looked like anyway. A majestic looking red oak desk stood in the middle of the white marble floor. A comfortable looking high backed chair, that looked more like a throne than an office chair stood behind the desk, and a glass cabinet with gold gilded edges was hid away in the corner, but Damon noticed it. He could see it was filled with a myriad of oddly shaped bottles, and momentarily felt an urge to try what was inside one but decided against it.

Red light flooded in through the large panelled window at the far end of the office, casting parts of the white marble floor in a pink glow. This office was office was beautiful, even in the harsh red light of this dimension. Damon's wonderment at the beauty of the office was interrupted, by the sound of a door knob being turned. Whoever was coming in, Damon was completely at there mercy. Fortunately, though, it was only sage.

"Damon, you're alive!" sage half stated, half asked. If sage suspended his disbelief, sage could almost believe the dishevelled figure in front of him was Damon Salvatore.

"Evidently" Damon replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes

"I didn't think it was possible. But…there you are! How did you survive?" sage asked in wonderment.

"I nearly didn't" Damon replied bluntly, not really answering the question" I also haven't fed in 3 months, so black magic would be appreciated"

"Oh of course, Mon ami" sage answered, reaching for a bottle of the stuff under the oak desk, followed by two glasses

"Sage," Damon began, talking a glass of black magic from sage "can you do me favour?"

"How can I help, mon petit tyran?" sage asked, before taking a sip from his glass.

"Help me get back" Damon stated simply

Sage looked deep in thought, before finally saying "I think I could manage that"

He then headed over towards the glass cabinet Damon had saw earlier. he rifled through the cabinet for a few minutes before he emerged.

"Aha!" he said triumphantly, raising a round bottle up in the air "whenever your ready!"

"I'm ready now!"Damon replied, impatiently

"Ok"sage said, grinning at Damon's impatience. he then began pouring the substance from the bottle in a circle "step in, Damon" he directed, gesturing with his hands towards the circle.

Damon did as he was told and turning to sage said" take me to the boarding house" sage didn't answer.

Before Damon knew it he was standing on a perfectly manicured lawn that made him think he wasn't at the boarding house. He was nearly sure he wasn't there when he noticed the white picket fence and a plain enough two story house.

"This isn't the boarding house" Damon said, questioning sage with his eyes

"No, Mon petit idiot" sage answered "it isn't, the young couple living in this house, have gone on the trip of a lifetime to Australia. Luckily for you. I may not know how you came back, but I do know you're a vampire who's been starved for three months. is it really a good idea for you to be around anyone…biteable?"

"No" Damon agreed, albeit reluctantly. He didn't want to harm anyone.

"So go in there, and get yourself cleaned up. I'll be back with blood bags"

"Sage?" Damon called

"Yes" sage replied

"When?" Damon asked

"soon"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Today began a new chapter in bonnie's life. Her college life. As she milled her way around the beautiful lush green quad of Dalcrest College, she felt something or someone was missing. Damon. He said he was coming, back but when? Bonnie was getting impatient, and couldn't help but try think of ways to speed along his return. she hadn't come up with anything and neither had the others.

Bonnie was pulled out of her musing by bumping into some thing soft and human like. A girl bonnie realised, when she took a step back from the crash.

"Sorry!" bonnie apologised with an embarrassed expression, bending down to pick up the books that had been knocked out of the girl's hands.

"Its fine" she responded as she took the books out of bonnie's hand. This girl was pretty. Her most striking feature was a pair of electric green eyes set in a cherubic face of pale, perfect skin. This was all framed by thick jet black hair that fell in soft wave to her shoulders.

"I'm amber, by the way" she said holding out her freehand for bonnie to shake.

"Bonnie" she responded, shaking ambers hand.

"Are you here alone?" amber asked, looking down at bonnie with a concerned expression

"No I'm here with-"bonnie trailed off looking around crowd for any sign of a head of golden blonde hair or deep chest nut brown.

"Ok" she didn't look like she believed her, but bonnie let it go. "Freshman?"

"Is it that obvious?" bonnie laughed

"Just a little bit" she grinned back "well I'm here to help, I am on the welcoming committee"

"Welcoming committee?" bonnie hadn't heard one existed here, in this school.

"You haven't heard of it? Well there is one. Its just to help freshman settle in. you come to us with your problems." amber explained

"Oh…that sounds like a good idea" unease was beginning to form in the back of her mind and she wasn't sure why.

"Yeah?" the girl grinned happily "well I better run classes to get to!" she waved as she headed in opposite direction to bonnie.

Bonnie felt there was something off about this girl. whether it was good or bad, bonnie didn't know. Whatever it was, it caused bonnie to quicken her step and look harder for her friends.

Damon was starting to feel claustrophobic in the house sage had brought him to, and he'd

Only been there 29 hours (he had counted) this claustrophobia seemed to get worse, when sage had told him how close he was to the others.

"About two miles," sage had said "it's just the next town over"

He had enough of day time TV already. The humans hadn't changed in Damons five hundred years. They still had the same problems, affairs, bad parents…he had even seen one show about a girl who had an affair with her brother in law that was strangely informative.

There was only so much TV he could watch though. Night was beginning to set in, a vampire's natural time of power. Screw sage, he was going out.

A dark night was beginning to set in over the car park as bonnie made her way to her car. She needed some air, a headache was beginning to make itself known around bonnie's temples and she couldn't take the crowded college anymore. She just wanted to go home after a long day of orientation and lectures were she was told what was expected of her for the year. She was completely alone in the car park, but still slightly on edge from her encounter with amber. If you asked bonnie what had put her on edge about amber she couldn't tell you, she could only say she was.

The silence that surrounded bonnie was soon shattered like glass by a rustling sound coming from the now sinister looking bushes. The sound caused her to drop her keys and whip around wildly, her red curls flying with her.

"Hello?" bonnie called, terrified

_Oh god, I sound just like those girls in the horror movies_ bonnie thought._ "The ones that die…"_offered up bonnie's cruel inner voice

That's when bonnie decided to just run. She didn't get very far though before she was pulled by hands that held her in an iron grip. These hands then threw her down to down with an astonishing force, that let bonnie know this was a vampire. She knew any fight she could put up against him would be useless. She could only hold on, cling to the light and not go into the darkness however welcoming. She thought all this as she was thrown against a car, setting its alarm off, kicked and hit.

A fog was beginning to descend over bonnie's vision, and she was clinging on to consciousness almost desperately. She couldn't help but notice the vampire wasn't taunting her, how cold and cold calculating he was in his attacks. As if he was doing a job….

Then through the fog bonnie could see a hooded figure enter the scene. Bonnie could only make out that this figure wasn't very tall not very muscular, but lithe and wiry. She could sense the power radiating off him in waves, even in her current state. This figure made his way over to the non-descript vampire and grabbing him roughly by the collar of his shirt, prevented him from making another attack. Bonnie could hear the vampire growl in frustration, and just knew he was trying to fight out of the hold, but the fog was getting ever thicker

, the vampire had really caused a lot of damage…

Then bonnie felt the power radiating off the figure move away and she was completely alone, like she was before the attack. The darkness was getting more welcoming every second…bonnie felt herself being lifted into strong arms, before she didn't feel anything at all.

(So…what you think? review and let me know….also I don't own vampire diaries but you knew that already ;) )


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bonnie came to, her head resting on soft pillows that were a stark contrast to the cold, hard ground she last laid down on. The warm sheets she was wrapped in was another contrast to the cold air that had last wrapped itself around her. Where was she?

Bonnie was afraid to open her eyes to find out, so she tried to get what she could from her other senses. She could smell the faint scent of lavender, probably coming from the pillow, and beneath her hands she felt the cold, soft expanse of a double bed. If she had been kidnapped, would her captor have put her in such a comfortable bed? Bonnie thought not. She decided to face her fears, and open her eyes.

On one side she saw an ornately carved wooden bedside locker with a single rose placed in a simple glass vase stood on top. Turning over, she expected to see an almost identical bedside locker, but she didn't. Instead she saw Damon. Damon, lounged in a wooden chair beside the bed in an almost regal pose, his head bent and eyes closed, one foot propped lazily on the frame of the bed.

"Damon?" bonnie called tentavily, as if the sound of her voice would cause him to turn to dust, and this would all turn out to be an all too horribly- beautiful dream

Damon raised his head at the sound of her voice, and grinned "ah, sleeping beauty awakes"

He was finally here! Bonnie made slightly awkward movements to be closer to him, to touch him, to make sure he was real, but Damon stopped her.

"No," he chuckled, pushing her back gently by the shoulders "I'll come to you"

Bonnie felt the double bed spring slightly beneath her as Damon positioned himself beside her.

"How are you feeling, kitten? You had quite a nasty injury" Damon asked, sounding genuinely concerned. Damon wrapped his arms around bonnie as he said all this, the same arms bonnie knew had picked her up off the ground and lifted her into safety.

"I'm ok, I guess" bonnie answered because she was. She only felt slightly achey

And was sure if she positioned herself right, she'd feel no pain at all. "You saved me!"

"Off course, when haven't I been there to come to your rescue?" bonnie felt a twinge of pain as she remembered the _last_ time Damon had come to her rescue, but shook it off quickly.

"How did you know where to find me? I didn't call for you"

"Oh, I felt you" he said this simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean by _felt_ exactly?" bonnie was sure she sounded dense, but she truly did not understand.

"Your emotions, I can feel them. When I found you I remember feeling exhaustion, and then fear. I just knew it was you, don't ask me how. I just did."

"Oh" bonnie understood it, only if she didn't think about the how.

"Don't worry about it, redbird we have plenty of time to work it out" he soothed sensing her confusion, not only from his new found connection with her, but from her creased brow and adorable pouted lips. He began stroking her cheek, just to feel the rose petal softness beneath his fingers.

"Mmmkay…"Damon grinned at this, probably at the way bonnie sighed and leaned automatically into his touch, closing her eyes slightly in contentment.

"I think you get some sleep, after all you're still healing" Damon advised

"Didn't you give me your blood?" Bonnie asked, her eyes already closed

"A little, but I didn't want to give you too much, just in case…it's better for you to heal as naturally as possible, anyway."

"Oh…okay then" bonnie pulled herself closer to Damon and placed her head on his chest, enjoying the feel of his black silk shirt beneath her cheek. She quickly fell in to darkness, a darkness she was sure she would come out of.

Damon removed himself delicately from underneath Bonnie's mass of strawberry red curls as soon as her breathing became slow and regular. He was careful as he turned her back and wrapped the white duvet around her petite frame.

In an odd bout of sentimentality, as he stood back from the bed, he imagined she was like an angel. What, with her red curls fanned out around her face like a red halo and her slight figure being swallowed by white bed sheets, it was easy to imagine.

Damon's train of thought was interrupted by feeling some ones presence enter the room.

"Damon"

"Sage"

"What happened to her?" sage asked gazing on Bonnie's sleeping form. He just knew his friend-acquaintance wasn't going to offer the information voluntarily.

"Well obviously, she was attacked by a vampire"

Sage rolled his eyes "I know that, but why?"

"I don't know. The vampire didn't seem all that bright to be honest. More like hired muscle."

"Hired by who?" sage asked. This mystery just got more complex

"Now that, my friend is the question"

Elena didn't know to worry as she knocked on the McCullough's front door. She truly believed bonnie was in her room scrambling to get ready. She began to worry when Mr McCullough answered the door, informed her bonnie wasn't there in a suspicious voice and she had to cover for her with a lie about her leaving for school early.

"Meredith, call matt, she could be with him" Elena ordered as soon as Mr McCullough shut the door. a knot of unease was beginning to form in her stomach. _Something _wasn't right.

_Ring ,ring ,ring _

"Hello, bonnie McCullough's phone" trilled the voice of Damon Salvatore

(_I do not own vampire diaries obviously :D so read and review .I hope its not too bad…)_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Damon couldn't help himself, when he heard Bonnie's phone vibrate against the wooden table and saw Elena's name flash up on screen. With his penchant for dramatic entrances, this was simply too good an opportunity to pass up. What's more dramatic than an un-dead dead man answering the phone?

"Bueno giorno, princess" Damon crooned into the phone "how are you?"

"Damon, where are you? How are you alive? Why do you have Bonnie's phone? Is she with you?" her voice was an odd mixture of concern, confusion and panic.

"Wait one question, at a time" Damon replied, chuckling at the long stream of questions. Yes this had definitely been the most interesting way for him to make his entrance. Casual yet undeniably dramatic at the same time.

Damon could hear Elena take a deep calming breath on the other end, before beginning "Damon is bonnie with you?"

"Yes"

"Yes! That's it? Is she ok, what happened to her?" Elena voice had now lost any resemblance to calm.

"Oh, she's fine" Damon responded casually "she's sleeping it off, right now"

"Sleeping off what?"

"Well, she was attacked, but I'll explain more about that and everything else, for that matter, when you inevitably barge in here. Were at 422 ash grove view, lockdale" his voice was laced a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Ok we'll get there as soon as we can" Elena hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye.

_Well, this should be a fun reunion _ Damon thought to himself.

Damon spent the intervening hour between the phone call and the visit in Bonnie's room, just keeping an eye on her. He couldn't believe how lucky was to be near enough to save her, to get to her on time. If he had listened to sage, he would have no redbird to get back to. This is why he had rebelled and broken rules for nearly his entire existence. Breaking the rules may have got you into trouble, but it was worth more than the trouble going by the rules got you into.

Looking down on the slight sleeping figure before him wrapped in white bed sheets, he couldn't help but notice how fragile and breakable she appeared, but how strong she was on the inside. A firecracker, who would defend those she cared about until the end. Undoubtly stubborn but not offensive. Damon loved this about her, how she could appear fragile but still be so strong on the inside.

_I completely undervalued her before_

"_Damon_!" called a loud female voice cutting off Damon's strand of thought

Damon lifted himself up slowly from his position in a chair beside Bonnie's bed with a mental sigh. Time to face the music and give explanations. As he entered the hallway he could see the blond silhouette of Elena and the dark curly haired one of his little brother through the frosted glass in the front door.

"I'm coming" Damon responded to the now impatient knocking on the door

He threw open the door to reveal a n anxious Elena and a brooding Stefan with his arm wrapped around her shoulder in a soothing gesture, stroking down the side of her arm with his long fingers. Nothing was said for a moment, but that seemed to stretch for an infinite amount of time. Seeing Stefan like that with Elena seemed to snap the emotional connection between him and Elena. Like an elastic band that had been stretched too far and then snapped. Damon felt it so forcibly that he wondered if there were any physical signs of it. It wasn't unpleasant though, more like there had been some restriction on his breathing and it had been then removed. It seemed to take almost everything with it, leaving only attraction behind. There would always be an attraction between them, Elena was a beautiful girl. But even this attraction wasn't enough to risk his relationship with Stefan and well…bonnie.

Of course Damon recovered from the silence first "how nice to see you all again" he kept up his 250 kilowatt smile for longer than a second, just for them.

"I thought we lost you, brother" said Stefan quietly, too much in shock from seeing the figure before him to think of social niceties

Damon laughed a little at his brother's look of shock and how he forgot to be polite before saying "you can't get rid of me that easily, little brother. Besides who else would make sure your existence doesn't get boring?" beneath sarcasm that coated his tone, Damon was truly touched by how affected he is brother seemed by his absence. it made him feel there might be some hope for them after all. They would never be perfect, that he understood, but it would be nice to have a decent relationship with the only family he had left.

"Damon, where's bonnie?" Elena asked, throwing a anxious gaze across the spacious hallway

"She's sleeping" Damon responded simply

"Damon, we need to all talk about this, including bonnie" frustration seemed to be at war with shock on her face.

"Elena?" called a sleepy looking bonnie as she came into view from behind a door, a few metres down the hall.

"Bonnie! You're alright" Elena ran towards her friend and pulled her into a bone crushing hug

"Of course I am" bonnie laughed, glad to see her friend as Elena was to see her "where's Meredith" bonnie asked as she pulled herself slightly away from Elena's embrace

"Oh she went to go fill in matt" Elena responded, so casually that it raised Bonnie's suspicion, but she decided to let it go" but how are you bonnie?" Elena was taking in the poppy –like bruise on Bonnie's forehead which was situated perilously close to her left temple.

"I feel fine Elena; honestly I'm just a little achy. I was lucky Damon was there to save me" bonnie finished by turning her wide brown eyes full of gratitude towards Damon

"I'm lucky I got there in time" Damon deflected wrapping a single arm around bonnie. His tone was a mixture of happiness and fear, reiterating for the two outsiders present, Stefan and Elena that bonnie was the chink in his armour, his weak spot.

"So I'm guessing I have a lot of explaining to do" Damon added, turning his gaze away from bonnie on to Elena and Stefan.

An hour had passed and the four had assembled in the kitchen of Damon's borrowed house. All possible information had been given, and they had move onto theories.

"The way he attacked me…"bonnie suppressed a shudder as remembered the sudden attack of the unknown vampire "it didn't seem like he was after my blood he was so cold and calculating…he wanted me dead"

"Who would want you dead bonnie?" Elena asked "you have no enemies"

The answer to this question eluded bonnie just as much as Elena. She _did_ have no enemies. None that she knew of anyway .unless the enemy didn't belong to her…

Stefan had been musing silently in the corner and had not been contributing much to the theories part of the conversation, until the lull in the conversation gave him opening.

"Damon, for how long were you making your way out of the other dimension?"

Damon narrowed his eyes towards Stefan at this seemingly loaded question before answering "three months, why?"

"Hmm and you were only able to contact bonnie once?"

"What are you trying to say Stefan?" Damon just wished his brother would get to the point.

"I mean that we are supernatural creatures and of course we have extra abilities, and they are enhanced by the ley lines, but they wouldn't be enough for a message to get through here. Maybe you only tried once, but it _shouldn't _have worked. Something or someone has amplified its power, and that cannot be good for us"

_(So what do yous think? reviews would be nice...:D)_

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Silence wrapped around the group as they absorbed what Stefan was saying.

"What kind of thing Stefan?" Damon ventured, first to break the wall of silence.

"I don't know a witch or vampire, maybe even a hybrid of the two?"

"Well that's helpful, little brother" Damon's tone was now coated with irritation.

"What are we going to do Stefan? We can't sit here and wait for them to come" a foreign feeling of helplessness washed over Elena. She _always _had a plan and if that one didn't work she always had back ups.

"There's nothing we can do." bonnie said her voice husky and tense "we have to wait for whoever it is to come to us. We already have the advantage. They wont expect us to know there coming"

"I really hope you're right bonnie" Elena murmured

"I hope so to" bonnie responded, giving her friends hand a gentle squeeze

Four days later and bonnie was deemed well enough by Damon, and he begrudgingly let her return to school. Though in all honesty she had been better the day after Elena and Stefan's visit, Damon just liked keeping her to himself after so long of being away from her. His feelings hadn't been this strong before his…demise. He was obviously clinging to things he almost lost. Bonnie had to pout and sulk hard to return to school.

"Come pick me up later" bonnie asked through the window of Damon's new sleek black Ferrari

"Of course redbird" he answered, leaning out to place a soft kiss on her lips and lingered as he pulled way.

"I'll see you then" bonnie was affected by this kiss more than she would have liked.

"Yeah, you will. don't be late" Damon pulled away with a smile and sped off into the distance and leaving a smiling bonnie with one finger placed on her tingling lips to amble off to class.

Bonnie had almost forgotten her odd meeting with amber in the events that had followed her first day in school. Those feelings of discomfort were all brought back in full force when she saw the girl again in the distance the wind playfully tugging at her black wavy hair. A wide smile was spread across her face as she waved at bonnie, making her way over.

"Bonnie!" she called, before coming to a stop just a little away from bonnie. "I heard you got mugged! Is that true?"

"Yeah, it is" a violent mugging had been the story that had been spread around school to explain the damage to the cars and the blood in the school parking lot. "He didn't take much though, and luckily I wasn't too hurt" bonnie made sure to widen her eyes and pout her lips just enough to make her story believable.

"Oh well that's good" amber looked like she bought it

"Well I got to go" bonnie shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Her intuition was telling her to stay away from amber, but that was crazy, amber looked perfectly safe and innocent, with dimples in her cheeks and a bright sunny smile. She couldn't possibly do her any harm…right?

She left amber then calling bye as she walked away towards the lecture halls that her classes were held in. she was going to have to do some research on amber…

Bonnie ran out of her last class towards the waiting Ferrari just out side the lecture hall. Sliding herself inside to the Ferrari's sleek black interior, she leaned over and gave a kiss on Damon's cheek before saying "Damon I need you to take me some where"

"Any where, kitten" Damon smiled across at her causing bonnie to smile in response "where do you want to go?"

"The library"

"The library?" bonnie could feel Damon gently probe at her mental defences but she had built up a pretty strong wall, she couldn't risk anyone, not even Damon, see what her theory was before she had some sort of proof.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to catch up on and my computer is broken, so..." bonnie finished by looking up soulfully at him with a hopeful smile. she didn't even feel that bad, it wasn't a_ total_ lie.

"Fine" Damon didn't look like he believed her but he drove on anyway towards the direction of the library.

Bonnie's first port of call, once she managed to snag one the ancient looking computers in the tiny library, was to go on the school website, a girl like amber would have to have some sort of presence there right? Bonnie tapped her fingers impatiently on the computer table as she waited for it to load. She was extremely lucky; the first picture that appeared on the curved screen of the white computer was a picture of amber in a red and white cheerleading uniform, the colours of the school. Underneath the picture was a caption that read _Amber leavy, head cheerleader pictured at last month's homecoming game. _Bonnie felt slightly silly then for thinking amber, head cheerleader and seemingly all-round nice person had anything to do with the strange surge of power in the ley lines, but she had to be sure, so she did the only thing she knew how, googled it. Bonnie was no computer hacker.

A few websites appeared on the screen for doctors and lawyers named amber, all which she dismissed quickly. She was about to give up, when a website for a college in the next state caught her eye. She clicked on the link which led her to a picture of a side of profile of a cheerleader, in the air mid-jump a warm smile on her face. It took bonnie a moment to realise the girl in the picture was in fact amber, this time in a blue and green uniform. The wavy black hair, tied up in a loose pony tail in the picture and if she looked closely enough she could make out the electric green eyes. Bonnie scrolled down further to check the date. It was five years old and amber hadn't aged a day. Bonnie gulped before clicking on the print icon._ Amber probably didn't know about this second picture _bonnie thought. Picking herself up and the shoulder bag she had brought with her she headed towards the large copying machine hidden in the corner, while waiting for her copies of the two pictures, she took the time to look out the window placed just above the printer. The sun that had warmed her skin as she made her way in had dimmed making way for dusk. Had she really left Damon waiting that long? _He must be so bored sitting in the car _she thought. He for some reason, only known to him had refused to come inside. It hadn't felt like long, but honestly seeing the second picture of amber had given her fright, she wasn't sure how long she had stayed staring at it. The sound of paper being spewed from the printer was tore bonnie from her thoughts. She gathered up the two sheets of paper and shoved them into her large bag. When she made her way out to the near empty car park she began to search for a red Ferrari and its owner. She made sure to stay in the yellow light that flooded from the lamp-posts. She couldn't of last time she had been alone in an empty car park

"You took your time" bonnie twirled around with a gasp, frightened until she realised it was only Damon when he revealed himself in the light

The fear on Bonnie's face turned to amusement and she laughed lightly before saying "I told you I had lot of work to do"

"Would like to tell me what you were working on?" Damon's single raised eyebrow told bonnie he hadn't believed her lie at all and wanted the truth.

"Look I'll tell everyone tomorrow at the boarding house" the thought of explaining it once was bad enough. She didn't want to do it more than necessary.

Damon rolled his eyes and wrapped one arm around her "let's get you home"

Bonnie was perfectly relaxed, slouched in Damon's car and didn't get alarmed until they were approaching her house and he didn't slow down and then sped past it.

"Damon!" bonnie squealed

"What is it redbird?" Damon answered, alarmed at tone of voice.

"You just drove past my house!"

"I said I was taking you home didn't I?"

"Yes but-"

"I'm at the boarding house now and that's were you'll be. Your home is with me redbird" Damon focused his midnight eyes on her with such intensity that she didn't think to argue.

The house seemed empty when they entered and headed straight up the stairs

When bonnie reached the boarding house she was tired and achy and just wanted to go asleep, therefore she didn't notice she was staying in same room as Damon until she exited and saw a bare-chested Damon lounging comfortably under the covers.

"You're staying here Damon?" Bonnie asked, eyeing the pale skin of his chest exposed by the blue bed sheets

"Yes," he answered perching himself one elbow "is that a problem?"

"No, not at all" bonnie hadn't taken her eyes off of Damon's chest

Bonnie didn't say any thing and just climbed under the covers. Soon she felt strong arms around her petite body and Damon's hot breath at her neck "night, night redbird"

As soon as bonnie as bonnie fell asleep she began to dream. The dream felt like she was watching a movie, she wasn't a part of it. It was odd. The first scene that her mind presented to her was one of amber sitting at an elegant looking dressing table in medieval dress of green velvet and gold trim, brushing her long black waves that tumbled down her back in front of a gold-framed mirror. She suddenly stopped brushing her hair and smiled widely "Klaus"

"Hello love" called Klaus before wrapping her in a warm embrace and kissing her softly on the lips

Then the scene the blurred and changed and again she was presented with amber. This time she was sitting on the edge of a wide double bed in a white nightdress that slid of one shoulder to reveal the marble skin of her shoulder. "I want to be vampire. I want to be with you, forever" she moved from the bed and placed her hand on the shoulder of a tall blond figure. This figure turned around at her touch and faced her and said "if you're sure" and then leaning down, fangs extended he bit into her exposed pale neck.

The scene then changed for the second time and she saw amber hiding in the forest that backed on to the clearing where bonnie had, for the first time truly bonded with Damon. Bonnie could see anguish and indecision in harmony on ambers pretty face as she witnessed the destruction of Klaus. It was then that the puzzle pieces fell together for bonnie and formed a disturbing picture. Amber had been in love with Klaus, the original vampire, the one who had killed Vicky and corrupted Stefan and Damon's Katherine._ That _Klaus. Amber seemed rooted to the spot as silent tears began to fall down her face

Then, for the third and final time, the scene changed and it was just amber standing alone, tear stains running down her face but she wasn't crying anymore, no, the anguish and indecision bonnie had witnessed earlier was gone and had now been replaced by anger, grief and, well…a thirst for revenge. She looked almost feral and bonnie shot up panting and sweating at the sound of her loud animal like growl.

"Bonnie, are you ok?"Damon asked concern evident in his wide black eyes

"No, none of us are" bonnie answered before sobbing into Damon's shoulder

_(So what do you all think? I'm kind of in a funk with my writing lately, so I apologise for that! Still review and let me know what you think, cos I love reading what you have to say :))_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Damon just held the sobbing girl in his arms, unsure of what to do. "shh, kitten its ok" he soothed, gently stroking her hair and holding her head of red curls to his chest "its going to be ok"

"No it's not Damon!" bonnie cried "she's coming after us!"

"Who's after us, redbird" Damon asked, his forehead creased in confusion

"Amber!" bonnie then went on to explain to him her research in the library and her strange encounters with the girl.

"I knew you weren't doing school work in there" Damon smiled softly down at her.

"No," bonnie half-smiled back "I wasn't"

"Would you like to tell me what you saw, that scared you so much?" Damon questioned, looking down at bonnie with a concerned expression, gently moving a loose red curl behind her ear.

"It was amber, I saw her in a dream" bonnie said. She pulled herself away from Damon and into a sitting position "it was too real to just be dream though, more like a vision"

"What exactly did you see bonnie?" Damon sat up, growing impatient and anxious, which was unusual for him.

"Amber and Klaus, she was in love with him you know. We basically killed the love of her existence" though the thought of amber coming after them to exact her revenge, terrified bonnie she could still feel some pity for the girl. Loosing someone you cared about could drive a person over the edge. Bonnie could relate.

"Existence? She's not a va-"

"Yes, she is a vampire, which makes this situation so much better" bonnie sighed bitterly and threw herself back on to the fluffy white pillows

Damon lied down when she did and turned to face her "look, we have faced a lot worse. We will get out of this scrap somehow too"

"I know we have faced worse! I know we'll find someway of solving this problem!" Bonnie cried in response, before sighing sadly "I just thought that now that you're back, things would just be easy. I was so stupid…"

"No you weren't" Damon whispered softly into Bonnie's ear, pulling her tight against him.

"You were hopeful, there's a difference"

"What are we going to do Damon?" Bonnie asked, letting out the last of her anxiety. Being in Damon's arms had strangely made her feel safer and less anxious.

"We'll figure it out tomorrow, with everyone else. Now sleep" Damon answered, kissing the top of her curls.

Bonnie complied and closed her eyes, hoping for no more visions of the life's of vengeful vampires now masquerading as preppy cheerleaders

Bonnie woke up early the next morning and smiled in contentment when she felt Damon's arms still wrapped around her tight.

"Redbird, are you awake?" Bonnie let out a small giggle before she could stop herself

"Redbird, I know you're awake" Damon said, his tone amused. Bonnie managed to keep herself quite this time.

"Redbird?" there was no answer from bonnie, who only grinned fiendishly "fine don't answer me"

Bonnie had thought he had given up, but realised he had only changed tactics when suddenly she felt herself being turned around and his lips crash on to hers. She had kissed him back automatically, proving beyond a doubt that she was awake._ That sneaky little…_bonnie thought, bitter after loosing the game they had been playing.

"Are you awake _now_?" Damon asked, grinning at her

"That wasn't fair!" bonnie laughed, only feeling slightly cheated

"Yes it was" Damon defended, laughing along with her, gently stroking her cheek. "I can hear the others downstairs, do you want to get up now and talk to them?"

Suddenly the night before all came crashing down on her; all that she had forgotten when she had woke up with Damon, safe and happy. Amber; amber coming after them, looking for revenge

"I guess we can't put it off forever" bonnie didn't want to talk about it; she wanted to be wrong or for the problem to just go away. She knew that she was right and that the problem wouldn't go away by itself.

Damon sighed and sat up "I thought I told you that we will get out of this; why are you so worried?"

"I am not worried"

"Don't lie to me redbird, emotional connection, remember?" dammit, she had forgotten about that.

"It's going to be fine, I promise" Damon said, getting out off bed and grabbing a black v-neck t-shirt from the rustic wooden floor beside the bed

"I guess…" bonnie mumbled slipping out of bed and heading towards the surprisingly modern en-suite bathroom to do her morning routine of moisturising and taming her hair into something presentable (Mrs Flowers seemingly kept her toiletries well stocked in each of the houses bedrooms)

"Come now redbird, you know I always keep my word" Damon called after her, his voice laced with amusement.

When they entered the kitchen together, they were met with the knowing gazes of Stefan and Elena "hey guys" bonnie said awkwardly, taking a seat at the large kitchen table across from Elena

"Good morning bonnie" Stefan said in a polite tone which was marred slightly by the odd cheeky grin spread across her face, which matched Elena's.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" bonnie asked, eyeing Stefan and Elena's suspiciously.

Stefan opened his mouth to answer but was cut by Elena saying "what do you mean, were not looking at you funny! So you stayed here last night, In Damon's room."

"Yes, I _slept _in Damon's room" Bonnie said making sure she got across that all she did was sleep.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, something embarrassing, no doubt, bonnie could tell, from the mischievous glint in her eye, but had mercy enough not to say it when Mrs Flowers entered the room rifling through her mail.

"Good morning dears" Mrs Flowers said brightly, leaving an envelope in front of Elena, Stefan and Bonnie.

"It looks like a party invitation" Elena said before ripping open the envelope noisily and reading aloud "you are cordially invited to the welcoming committee's start of year ball on the 20th of September"

Bonnie scanned her own invitation and gulped when she read Party organiser: Amber leavy in small black elegant writing at the corner of the page

_Don't you think you should tell them now?_ Sent Damon Telepathically

Bonnie agreed. "Listen I need to tell you something" Stefan and Elena looked at bonnie with a concerned expression before bonnie told them everything, about amber and her strange encounters with her, her research in the library and then the vision she had last night.

"So you're saying we have been invited to party organised by someone who probably wants to kill us?" Stefan said, his tone holding a hint of sarcasm.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," bonnie responded "what are we going to do?"

Elena sat up straighter with a determined expression on her face "we're going to go to this party and meet this girl and face her head on. Talk her down or destroy her"

_(__Hey, this update is short I'm afraid *laughs nervously* but review anyway, I like hearing what you have to say! :D_


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